# Morta



## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

So, I decided to treat myself to an Askwith Morta for Christmas/my birthday. Chris emailed me yesterday and said he'd chosen the block and would be drilling today. This is going to be my first (and probably only!) Morta, and I thought I'd see if anyone on the boards had any experience with the material. 

Anyone out there got a morta pipe? What do you think? Any care and feeding advice?


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## Thirston (Feb 2, 2011)

I have a Mario Grandi morta (obviously a lower caliber pipe) and as they say it 
smokes latakia blends extremely well. I started smoking the pipe with viriginia’s, as is 
my practice, and was not impressed. Other than that, it stays extremely cool, is very 
light weight, and really brings out great flavor in smokey blends, despite 
not even being high quality morta (very light in color.)


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## WWhermit (Nov 30, 2008)

I was at the West Coast Pipe Show this weekend in Las Vegas. I was considering a Morta pipe by Paolo Becker. Very nice pipe.

I asked the gentleman selling the pipe about his experiences with morta. He told me because the morta, or bog oak, is very hard, it has little, very little room for expansion. Therefore, be very very careful with getting the pipe too hot. He has seen a couple instances where the morta pipe cracked under the heat. This can occur most often while breaking in the pipe, so do this even more slowly and carefully than you would with a briar pipe.

Since I smoke mostly virginias, and since virginias are most prone to smoking hot, I chose not to buy a morta, but got a Castello briar pipe instead.

WWhermit
ipe:


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

That's awesome, Landis! Chris Askwith makes some beautiful pipes. 

Sorry, i'm no help. I don't know much of anything about mortas, except that I know I want to see pics of yours when it's done


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## szyzk (Nov 27, 2010)

I love my morta! It plays very well with darker VAs, smokes very clean, plus it just looks so cool!



















You'll be happy with your purchase!


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

Sweet! Thanks for the advice everyone. I had heard these do well with darker tobacco flavors such as Lats, but I've also read from Trevor Talbert that he enjoys Bracken Flake and SG Black XX in his, so that's right up my alley. I smoke lots of heavy dark baccy ala G&H rope, dark flake, dark birdseye, Bracken, 1792 etc. My plan is to keep this pipe open to new experiences rather than to dedicate it. I'm thinking these dark tobaccos, and things like Jack Knife will do well in it!

Chris is great to work with, and I've already got a strawberry-wood #55 bent pot clone from him that smokes VA's like a champ.

I do appreciate the input on breakin advice. I'm a slow cool smoker, ESPECIALLY on break-in so I don't see that being a problem.

Since I'm sure inquiring minds are interested, I've asked Chris for this shape, but with an amber stem. He said he likes making this shape a lot, so I hope he has fun with it....

Askwith Sandblastd Morta Squat Rhodesian Pipes at Smoking Pipes .com


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

Here she is all finished! I am absolutely ecstatic with the way this turned out. The contrast of the yellow stem and the jet black morta is loud and brash, but that's exactly what I wanted. The stem is pretty translucent, so you can see the black delrin tenon, and the airway should be able to be seen when the pipe is in hand. I'm so stoked!

Should ship out this Friday, but shipping can be a bit slow from Plymouth. Will let you all know what I think when I get a couple of smokes under her belt....


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

And BTW, Chris Askwith's website just updated, with some stunning pipes in the store today. Really cool nosewarmer stack!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

That's a beauty! Was the process difficult? I've never contacted a carver like that before, but apparently with some of them, that seems to be best way to get a pipe.


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## szyzk (Nov 27, 2010)

Yer gonna love it, Landis. They smoke very well and feel great in the hand... Enjoy!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

That pipe is too much, Landis, just too much. I can envision an eccentric mystery novel detective smoking one of those. :spy: (And he'd have to have one of those leather pouches like the inspector had in Dial M for Murder, filled with coins of rope that he slices off each day while he thinks about the case.) What a pipe!


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

MarkC said:


> That's a beauty! Was the process difficult? I've never contacted a carver like that before, but apparently with some of them, that seems to be best way to get a pipe.


Thanks guys!

Mark, it's really as simple as an email. The two pipes I've gotten from Chris, I simply looked around at his shapes and materials and told him what I wanted via links to websites that had hosted pics of his pipes. On the first one, I had him scale down his Castello 55 pot to a smaller bowl dimension, and it worked out wonderfully in strawberry wood. Chris is a great guy to work with, and he keeps you updated on the progress of your pipe as it goes along. With this pipe, I knew the shape and that I wanted a morta, and Chris was kind enough to send along pics of mortas with the various stem colors I was interested in, to get a feel of how they looked juxtaposed against the black wood.

I've had pipes made by a few carvers now, and most of them are very approachable and willing to take commissions. I'd bet that's a good portion of Chris' business, but that statment is purely conjecture. It is certainly a fun journey to take. Sadly, this has to be the last for quite a while. My funds are dry, and my rack is full! But my collection feels complete now with a morta.


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

Jim, I think the first smoke is either gonna be brown bogie, or SG Black XX rope oddly enough! Gonna try lots of heavy, dark, non Lat blends before making the plunge to english with it. I probably won't dedicate this pipe to a blend, and just keep it for misc dark stuff. At least that's the plan for now.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Holy crap, that's gorgeous!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

FiveStar said:


> Jim, I think the first smoke is either gonna be brown bogie, or SG Black XX rope oddly enough!


Cool! I guess it's the color -- just seems to go with Black XX. :smile: Looks like Royal Yacht would fit in there nicely, too. :tu


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

Ooooookay. So the morta got here late last week. Wow. Just wow, is all I can say! Chris has cut a truly amazing work of pipedom here!

The pipe is incredibly dense and heavy for its size, but It was never going to be a clencher. The feeling in hand is amazingly tactile. It feels somewhere between wood, stone and PLASTIC if you can believe it. Not at all in a bad way, and totally wonderful to hold and smoke.

The maiden voyage was Jackknife Plug, and I was absolutely floored from the word go! This is the coolest, sweetest, driest smoking pipe I've ever encountered. It doesn't get hot, and the flavors presented from the JKP were sweeter, and more robust and round than I've ever had in briar.

This stuff isn't cheap, but I have to say if you can spring the coin, you HAVE to try morta. Especially if you like darker tobaccos! I've only had JKP and Kendall Dark in it so far, but I can already tell this is going to be dedicated to dark ropes and Kentucky blends. Simply an outstanding pipe in my collection, and likely the only one I'll ever own. But if I ever come into enough cash to get another....

Again, Chris is awesome to work with, and he made exactly what I wanted! Everyone should have an Askwith or two!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks for the report! I already wanted a morta; you're not making it any easier!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Thanks for the report! I already wanted a morta; you're not making it any easier!


Personally, I think he's being a total jerk about this. If he had any heart at all, he'd be telling us it smoked like crap.


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

LOL! Both of you guys should go for one. Just start stashing away your TAD budget for a couple of months, and VIOLA! You've got an Askwith morta. 

That's what we have Cellar's for after all, right?


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

Hot diggity dang, that's a fine looking pipe!

Congrats Landis!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

commonsenseman said:


> Hot diggity dang, that's a fine looking pipe!
> 
> Congrats Landis!


Sheesh. Ya know what this is like? Wanna know? It's like a beauty contest, with the best looking babe getting the crown and all the prizes, while the plain Janes in the audience try to hide their envy. :lol:

sigh. For me, it'd be like Columbo driving a Bentley instead of a Peugeot.


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

Really? LOL I dunno, have you seen my ugly mug? I've seem some pretty ugly dudes sportin' some nice ass pipes.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

FiveStar said:


> Really? LOL I dunno, have you seen my ugly mug? I've seem some pretty ugly dudes sportin' some nice ass pipes.


I'm reminded of the bar jokes that end, "I was talking to your pig."


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## FiveStar (Jan 7, 2010)

freestoke said:


> I'm reminded of the bar jokes that end, "I was talking to your pig."


:rofl:


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## cp478 (Oct 23, 2008)

I have a Rattrays Morta and love it. Definitely go with darker tobaccos and keep it cool.


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